Disclaimer: I received this wine as a sample from the PR folks for Wines of Chile.
Getting to know all about you. Getting to like you, getting to hope you like me! (With all apologies to Hammerstein…) I promised in 2009 to make getting to know Chilean wines one of my wine goals. And I am quickly on my way to making it there. I’ve already had 3 red wines from Chile and I have 9 more waiting to be tasted. This one has been my favorite so far, and confirms my suspicion that I really like the Carmenere grape, a grape I first tasted for WBW 52.
I chose the 2005 Estampa Gold from the Colchagua Valley in Chile for the evening. It had a real cork closure, clocked in at 14.5% alcohol by volume, and retails for around $18, making this a fabulous value. (You listening Dr. Debs? This is definitely a Good Wine Under $20!) 🙂 It’s a blend of 55% Carmenere, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petite Verdot.
The color on the wine is a deep dark gorgeous purple. On the nose I found cinnamon, plum, spice, black fruit, chocolate, pepper, black cherry, mocha, and licorice. In the mouth, tart black cherries dominated, with plums, spice, earth, and anise rounding out the flavors. This one had nice spicy fruit, it tasted as if each of the fruits were rolled in fresh cracked black pepper. The wine got a hearty two thumbs up from both Matt and I. A great value for what it delivered.
Filed under: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile, Red, Wine |
Wannabe Wino Wine Blog 
Always happy to please and very glad that you enjoyed it!
Sounds like an interesting blend to seek out, I’m a fan of Carmenere…and Hammerstein too. 🙂
I really enjoyed discovering the wines of Chile on my WSET course. I was particularly fascinated by the idea that for years all Carmenere was considered to be merlot. Our excellent tutor had us taste each together and diffence was obvious even to our inexperienced palettes. Try it yourself!
Toot toot!
http://www.wine-gums.blogspot.com
I’m listening! It’s on my list1
Thanks Rob! Taking a few days off from drinking due to a cold/cough, but will be back into the reds in a couple days hopefully!
Lynn, I really enjoyed the blend. And I’ve like all the Carmenere I’ve tried so far!
Hi Chris-welcome and thanks for the comment. I did read that about Carmenere, and that sounds like an interesting experiment!
Good to know Dr. Debs 😉